The following was sent to Wrestleview.com.
BWC Films is proud to announce the internationally famous ECW Arena as the venue for the world premiere of their documentary film, Barbed Wire City, on Saturday night, April 20th in Philadelphia, PA. “This is the moment I’ve been waiting for since last summer,” John Philapavage, one of the filmmakers behind Barbed Wire City, said. “It took a little longer than I thought, but it feels right for this to be the venue for our premiere screening.”
The Arena, which has undergone several renovations and name changes over the last decade-plus, was home to the original Extreme Championship Wrestling from May 1993 until the company’s final Philadelphia show in December 2000. Sitting on the corner of Swanson and Ritner Streets in South Philadelphia, the building has been closed since January of 2012. For one night only at the Asylum Arena formerly the ECW Arena—April 20th, 2013 will open its doors to fans once again for this special screening. The venue is located at the corner of Swanson and Ritner in South Philadelphia –exactly at 7 W. Ritner Philadelphia, PA 19148.
“I didn’t grow up a wrestling fan,” Kevin Kiernan, the other filmmaker behind Barbed Wire City, commented, “but John (Philapavage) took me to a show at the (ECW) Arena the last year the company was in business. It was actually within the first month of filming, thirteen years ago. So finishing everything up there just feels right. That building is the emotional center of that movement—the company we chronicle in this film—so showing it there just made so much sense.”
Tickets for the premiere, DVD pre-order, and other merchandise are available at the www.barbedwirecity.com/store
Barbed Wire City has fully-launched their official film website that includes video clips, news, and other interesting links at www.barbedwirecity.com
“I can remember fantasizing about a premiere there when I was twenty,” Philapavage laughs. “I’m thirty-two now. It took some time, but it finally fell together. I can’t think of a better place to be in the world on April 20th.
Barbed Wire City is an unauthorized documentary film studying the subculture and story of defunct pro wrestling promotion Extreme Championship Wrestling. The promotion rose to prominence from humble beginnings in 1992, had a massive effect on the wrestling boom of the late 90s, and went bankrupt in early 2001.